September, 2011 Archives

And so, too, O God, our Lord, instill Your awe upon all Your works, and Your dread upon all You have created. Let all works revere You and all creatures prostrate themselves before You. Let them all become a single society, to do Your will wholeheartedly. For as we know, God, our Lord, that the dominion is Yours, might is in Your hand and strength is in Your right hand, and Your Name inspires awe over all that You have created.[1]

The Abudirham explains that the phrase, “And so…” is based on Esther’s saying. “And so I will come before the king.”[2] Esther knew that she was loved by the king more than all the other woman of the kingdom, and that he would summon her in the near future. However, she was unwilling to wait for him; she wanted to go immediately after her preparations. But as opposed to the first time that she went into the king after a year’s preparation with perfumes and beauty tips, this time she would go into the king after three days of fasting, when she would not be at her best. She was willing to risk everything to approach the king. So too, we, on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are not willing to wait for God. We will risk everything and go directly to Him although we are certainly less than well-prepared.[3]

First Approach (Rashi)

Pachad refers to the heart pounding astonishment[4] and worry[5] (where and how will I fit in?) felt by those immediately close[6] to a revelation of God’s Presence. Eimah refers to the fear caused by the unknown[7], something beyond my immediate comprehension[8] when things no longer make sense[9] to my way of thinking. Yirah is the awe that comes with the clarity of seeing[10] God as much as a human being can comprehend.

Stage 1:

Pachad – Your works: Works come from the lowest form of Creation; Assiyah. They can only experience something that is immediately before them. The most they can feel is Pachad. We ask that there be a revelation of God that will be clear enough for the lowest form of creation which will then add to the Presence of God in the world, which, in turn, will affect us. We are not asking God to make us experience fear; “Everything is in the hands of Heaven except for the Fear of Heaven.”[11] We are declaring ourselves prepared to respond to revelation with fear.[12] We will not ignore what God will manifest.[13]

Eimah- Creations: The revelation of Your Presence should be in such a way that we sense something beyond us which will make us reach/search for the unknown. Creation here means the act of creation; something from nothing. We are declaring ourselves prepared to respond to God’s revelations beyond the obvious and to search for the unknown. At this moment in the prayer, one must reflect on experiences and studies of the previous year when they felt something intangible, ethereal and pray for the understanding to comprehend similar messages that God will send over the coming year.

Stage 2:

Works –Yirah: Even the lowest forms of creations; those who live only on the most immediate level, will see every detail of the world with clarity and be filled with awe. “I request the clarity to see You in everything.”

Creations-Bow: Those with the ability to relate to the abstract will put their insights into action, they will bow with humility. “I will put all my insights into action. I will serve You with humility.”

Stage 3:

All will become a single society: “Only when all the Jews are joined can the King be revealed.”[14] “I commit myself to join with all other Jews with love, without hatred and jealousy, so that You can reveal Yourself as King.”[15]

Do Your will wholeheartedly: “Reveal Your Unity and I will respond with unity; total commitment.”[16]

Stage 4:

Dominion is Yours: Refers to “HaGadol” what You reveal through nature. “I will acknowledge that all that I see in nature is Yours.”

Might is in Your Hand: Refers to “HaGibor” what You reveal through the miraculous. “I will acknowledge and respond to Your miracles”

Strength is in Your right Hand: Refers to “HaNorah” that which is beyond human comprehension. “I will live with the awareness that reality is beyond anything I can see.”

Stage 5:

Your Name inspires Yirah over all You have created: All beings with souls (created) have the clarity of God as part of their essence but their desires and evil inclination conceal that clarity.[17] “I will respond to what You reveal this day by seeing what I know in the most hidden parts of me, to be true.

And so, too, God, grant honor to Your people, praise to those who revere You, good hope to those who seek You, and eloquent speech to those who hope to You; gladness to Your land, and joy to Your city; flourishing pride to David, Your servant, and preparations of a lamp for the son of Jesse, Your anointed – speedily, in our days.

Stage 1:

Honor to Your people: May all see that we are Your people, special to you.[18] “I will act in a way that reflects the honor You have given the Jews.”

Praise to those who revere You: “At that time all the idol worshippers will praise the Jews and say; ‘See the praise of this nation that attached to the Holy One, Blessed is He, no matter what happened to them. They never abandoned Him. They were always aware of His Goodness and Praise.’”[19] “I will attach to You and will always be aware of Your Goodness no matter what happens to me.”

Good hope to those who seek You: “And she went to seek the Lord.”[20] Rebecca went to the prophet with the hope that she would receive a clear answer. We request that God reveal Himself this year so that we will have hope that all our questions will be answered. “I will search with hope for answers to all that troubles me.” “You are to know this day, and answer the questions of your heart,[21] that God is the only Lord – in heaven above and on the earth below – there is none other.”[22]

Eloquent speech to those who hope to You: Those who have waited for Moshiach[23] will be able to open their mouths with the pride of justification. “I will wait for the Moshiach so that I can speak with clarity so that all can understand that this world can be unified in Your Name.”

Stage 2:

Gladness to Your land: Simcha is laughter over something good that was totally unexpected and impossible happening to me.[24] This laughter is one of the sounds of the Shofar![25] Your land is the place where the child arrives after being born.[26] The place where he will live his life and earn his World to Come. We are praying that the Divine Presence fill the Land of Israel so much more than ever before that the land will laugh with the joy of the unexpected. (We will also include this in our kavanot when we hear the shofar tomorrow.)

Joy to Your city: Sasson is the joy over the greatness[27] that comes with the forgiveness of sins[28] and the restoration of deeper levels of connection with God.[29] Your city is Your capital[30], a place by which You are identified[31], and to which You are responsible.[32] “Please restore the greatness of Jerusalem by forgiving our sins, and restoring the deep level of awareness that existed when Your city was standing and reflecting Your Presence.” (Remember; we lived with a much deeper awareness of Hashem and the impact of our choices when Jerusalem was whole.)

Flourishing pride (horn) to David: “After this I was watching in night visions, and behold a fourth beast, exceedingly terrifying, awesome and strong. It had immense iron teeth, and it was devouring and crumbling, and trampling with its feet what remained. It was different from all the beasts that had preceded it, and it had ten horns. As I was contemplating the horns, behold! Another horn, and a mouth speaking haughty words. I watched as thrones were set up, and the One of Ancient days sat.[33] His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like clean wool; His throne was of fiery flames, its wheels blazing fire. A stream of fire was flowing forth from before Him, a thousand thousands were serving Him, and myriad myriads were standing before Him. The judgment was set, and the books were opened. I saw that after this, because of the sound of the haughty words which the horn spoke, I watched until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and consigned to a flame of fire.[34] As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, yet an extension of life was given them until a season and time. I was watching in night visions and behold! With the clouds of heaven, one like a man came; he came up to the One of Ancient Days, and they brought him before Him. He was given dominion, honor and kingship, so that all peoples, nations and languages would serve him; his dominion would be an everlasting dominion that would never pass, and his kingship would never be destroyed.”[35] [36] “We ask that when You judge today, that You will judge all those who oppress us and give over their power to the Moshiach.”

Preparations of a lamp for the son of Jesse: “There I shall cause pride to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for My anointed.”[37] The lamp to bring My light to the world.[38] David’s father, Jesse, had no expectations of his son. In fact, he was ashamed of David. Yet, it is David who brings God’s light to the world. David had expectations of himself. He was able to access the lamp that God had prepared for him. We pray that we, the Jewish People, continue to have expectations of ourselves to be able to bring God’s light to the world.

And so, too, the righteous will see and be glad, the upright will exult, and the devout will be mirthful with glad song. Iniquity will close its mouth and all wickedness will evaporate like smoke, when You will remove evil’s domination from the earth.

Ramchal explains that unlike the rest of the year when we first must pray for the destruction of evil before we pray for the righteous, on Rosh Hashanah, because it is a beginning, before evil has asserted its power, we can pray for the righteous first.[39]

Raising of the Good:

Rashi holds that the Yashar is on a higher level than the Tzaddik[40].

Tzaddikim – See and have Simcha: The Tzaddik emanates life[41], Simcha[42], hope[43] and light[44]. He is able through his being a source of life[45] to bring atonement[46] and knows how to appease the Creator.[47] For example, because he is willing to overlook anything improper done to him, he is able to approach the Creator and ask that He too overlook any insult.[48] In fact, he is so successful in bringing atonement that the Temple in Jerusalem is called his home.[49] The Tzaddik is greater than the angels.[50] The Tzaddik is a source of life. When he will have clarity, Yirah, that will come with this beginning of life, Rosh Hashanah, he will be filled with the laughter of Simcha, unexpected possibilities of life. The potential of life at the beginning is unlimited, reflecting the essence of the Tzaddik. The sound of the Shofar is the sound of his laughter. We want to laugh with him.

Yesharim – Exult: The Yashar is the person who, through his attachment to the Mitzvot, has developed a sensitivity to intuit God’s Will in situations that are not spelled out in black and white in the Torah or Halachah.[51] He will be filled with Alizah, a contagious joy that will infect all around him to experience in their relationship with God.[52]

Chassidim- mirthful with glad song: The Chassidim here refers to Ba’alei Teshuva.[53] They will burst out in song with their mouths and hearts.[54] Even after they sing they will still have song in their hearts that they were unable to express with their mouths.[55] The Shofar is the expression of that unexpressed joy. (Please note: On the day that we do not blow the Shofar, it is important to focus on these different kavanot regarding the Shofar.) The Chassidim are able to reach a level of joy that is so powerful that they receive a level Ruach HaKodesh that they are able to sing ever greater levels of praise.[56] We pray that we too are able to praise You with such joy that we receive new insights into Your praise. The Shofar becomes an instrument to which we dance.

Destruction of Evil:

Iniquity – Close its mouth (see reading from Daniel 7 above) “Thus there is hope for the poor, and iniquity shuts its mouth.”[57] The first attack of evil was with its mouth; when the snake opened a conversation with Eve. We pray that evil will be cut off at its source.

Wickedness – Will evaporate like smoke: “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth below – for the heavens will evaporate like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants will die, as well; but My salvation will be forever and My righteousness will not be broken.” All of this existence is a façade of reality. We pray that the façade will evaporate so that we can experience God’s salvation and witness His righteousness.

Evil’s domination – You will remove from the Earth: “Behold, I am against you, O wicked one, the word of my Master, the Lord of Legions, for your day has arrived, the time for Me to punish you. The wicked one will stumble and fall, and there will be no one to lift it up. And I will set fire to its cities, and it will consume all its surroundings.”[58] “The wickedness of your heart has misled you, who dwells in the clefts of the rocks in his lofty abode, who says in his heart, “Who can bring me down to earth?’”[59]

[3] See Zohar, III that compares our process on Rosh Hashanah to Jacob going into Issac wearing the “clothes of sin” of Esau.

[4] Rashi: Isaiah 60:5

[5] Malbim ibid

[6] Rashi; Exodus 15:16 “Song of the Sea”

[7] Abraham at the Brit bein Habitarim

[8] Rashi; Exodus 15:16

[9] Rashi: Isaiah 33:18

[10] Yirah also means to see.

[11] TB Berachot 33b

[12] Maharal, Gevurot Hashem, chapter 56

[13] Rabbi Yisrael Salanter said that we must be more careful on this Day of Judgement to be completely committed to our words.

[14] Nachmanides; Deuteronomy 33:5

[15] Sefer Chareidim, Chapter 74

[16] Daily Amidah: “Bless us, our Father, all of us, as one, with the Light of Your Face.”

[17] Rabbeinu Tam; Sefer Hayashar, Fifth Gate

[18] Based on Rashi; Genesis 20:16

[19] Rashi; Deuteronomy 32:43

[20] Genesis 25:22; this refers to Rebecca who was troubled by her pregnancy.

[21] This is the translation of the Ramchal in The Knowing Heart, paragraph 1.

[22] Deuteronomy 4:39

[23] Based on TB Rosh Hashanah 30a

[24] Rashi; Genesis 17:17; describing Abraham’s laughter when he heard that he would be having a child at age 100.

[25] Based on Rashi, Isaiah 16:10

[26] Rashi, Ezekiel 38:4

[27] Rashi; Psalms 45:8

[28] ibid 51:10

[29] ibid, verse 14

[30] Based on Rashi, I Kings 20:34

[31] Based on Rashi, Jeremiah 12:5

[32] Based on Rashi, Ecclesiastes 10:11

[33] Rashi: God will set up two thrones, one of strict justice and the other of mercy. God will judge Rome/Edom when the Messianic era arrives.

[34] Yalkut Shimoni, Daniel, chapter 7, #1064: The horn of power will be given to Moshiach and the righteous and they will sit with God and judge the angels representing the nations that oppressed the Jews throughout history.

[35] Daniel 7:7-14

[36] Rashi, Ezekiel 29:21 This is what is referred to as the “lifting of the horn of David.”

[54] Rabbi Yehuda ben Yakar (The rebbi of the Ramban) Commentary on the Siddur; Blessing of Al Hatzaddikim

[55] Shirat David on the Siddur

[56] This is based on TB Succah 52b that describes the dance of the Chassidim at the Simchat Beit HaShoeiva. The Gemara implies that the praises sung by the Chassidim increase as they sing and dance.

[57] Job 5:16

[58] Jeremiah 50:31-32

[59] Obadiah 1:3. This is a prophecy against Edom. Obadiah was born an Edomite, converted and eventually became a prophet. His prophecy is all the more powerful because it is an expression of someone from Edom itself.

[60] This is the acronym for the Vilna Gaon. He differs from Rashi on the definitions of many of the terms in these prayers.

[61] Job 31:23. Rashi explains that Job had such clarity of reward and punishment, as if it were right in front of him, despite the injustice of his suffering, that he was filled with Yiras Haromimus, awe of God’s exaltedness. See Ralbag and Metzudas David who agree with Rashi.

[62] Gra; Habakkuk 1:7 based on Mechilta on the Song of the Sea. He must have had a different text than we do. He may have based this on an original reading of a Sifra; Bechukotai, Chapter 7.

[63] Avnei Eliyahu

[64] Isaiah 5:12

[65] Psalms 8:4

[66] Gra; Genesis 1:1; This is his explanation of the blessings; “Borei pri ha’adama, ha’eitz, minei mezonot.” All these blessings refer to what exists not the action of creation.

[67] Rabbi Chaim Volozhin in the name of his rebbi, the Gra, quoted in Siach Yitzchak.

Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler accompanied a student to the train station, the first stop on the young man’s journey to a new country. As they approached the station, the student asked his holy rabbi for a blessing.

“From the depths of my heart, I wish for you, that you find a good seat for your journey, so that your travels will be comfortable.”

“My Rebbi, is that the best blessing that you have for me? You can only bless me for my journey and not for my life!”

“I did bless you for your entire life. My intention was that this is only the first step of your life’s journey. I blessed you with a comfortable ride for the entire trip.”

Tomorrow night we will begin the next stage of our life’s journey. The Foundation Stone™ prays that God will bless you with a first-class for the next step of the jouney and for the entire trip.

“God, your Lord, will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring.” (Deuteronomy 30:6) The first letters of “your heart and the heart of your offspring” spell Elul.

“From heaven God gazed down upon mankind, to see if there exists a reflective person who seeks out God.” (Psalm 53:3)

The Holy One, Blessed is He, searches for the truly righteous person who has achieved greatness through the application of his formidable intellect. God then takes a second look to see whether this person is able to let go of the reason that successfully took him so far and use only his heart to search for God. One who uses only his heart can hear what God demands.

I spent most of yesterday battling with Land Rover over a receipt. Our car is under warranty and the transmission failed immediately after the engine was replaced. (Long Story!) Land Rover wanted receipts proving that we properly maintained the car and were not the cause of the transmission’s death. We have receipts for maintenance every 3,000 miles, which is impressive as the car has almost 80,000 miles on the odometer.

We even have a receipt for changing the transmission fluid at the 60,000 mile scheduled maintenance. However, we called our mechanic from Land Rover, our car needed some warranty work, and he wrote the date of the call on the work order. The dealer had the car for a few days to make some important repairs, so we didn’t bring the car to our mechanic for a few days.

The work order has the date of the call, not the work. The date is the same day that Land Rover had our car and therefore, Land Rover claims that the receipt is fraudulent and we never changed the transmission fluid and therefore, they are not responsible to replace the transmission.

One detail out of hundreds. They acknowledge that the transmission worked until they had the car for repairs. They acknowledged that they changed the transmission fluid. They acknowledge that the car is a lemon. They acknowledge that we have perfectly maintained the car, except for one detail: The date on the work order is incorrect. That one detail will now cost us almost two thousand dollars to fix the car.

One detail can negate the hundreds of acknowledged positive steps. One detail is sufficient to declare all the established maintenance as invalid. All I can say is: “Thank God, Land Rover is not in charge of the Rosh Hashana Judgment!”

Imagine if God would say, “Well, you have been superb this year except for one detail. All the positive is negated.” None of us could survive a Land Rover judgment.

Details matter. We can lift someone’s spirits with one kind word However, the King’s perspective is Infinite, and each detail is part of a much larger picture.

We also most consider the larger picture of our lives, not the details. What have we become? How have we grown? Where and how do we fit into God’s creation?

I have to tell you something that I have mamesh been thinking about, but I hope I will be able to make myself clear.

This Shabbos we read ‘Atem Nitzavim Hayom Kulchem’, you are standing before G-d, all of you. Then we read about all the ten kinds of yiddelach that are there.

Everybody knows that on Rosh Hashonna you are standing before G-d, but the question is on what level? We are not being counted on the level of details, we are being counted on the level of all. Every person is the combination of two things. Let’s take a girl who is very beautiful, her eyes and ears are beautiful, but this is all details. But then there is something else, the all a person is. There might be a person who is very talented in Mathematics but sometimes the all is not talented. A lot of big scientists are talented in everything but the all in them is stupid. Then there is a person who is not only talented in every detail, but the all is talented and the all is beautiful. There are a lot of yiddelach who are Jewish in every detail but the all of them is without religion, the all of them. And then there are people who maybe their details are not so religious, but the all of them is so beautiful. So in a nutshell, on Yom Kippur we are standing before G-d on the level of details because on Yom Kippur I confess every detail I did wrong, but on Rosh Hashonna I am standing before G-d on the level of my all.

I want to share something very deep with you, which may not be clear till the end so just bear with me. Imagine I walk on the street and I see a poor man and all I have on me is a dollar. So I’m thinking to myself ‘should I give him just half a dollar and leave half a dollar for myself or should I give him all I have?’ Something happens to me and I feel very high and I give him all I have, but where is this coming from? It comes from the all of me. My all of me gives all to the poor man, but it’s not really all there is. No person has more than all they have. But imagine if there would be such a thing that not only the all of me, but the all of my world. You know what G-d does? The Master of the World is giving you not only the all of me but the whole world. There is such a thing, mamesh all there is.

And just bear with me, it will become clearer to you. There is such a thing which has to do with after I’m born, after I’m already in this word, and there are certain things which touch my very being in this world. These things touch my being born, my coming into this world. For instance, I can connect to a person on two levels, I can love a person on two levels. I’m already in this world and I know you so I love you. But then there is something much deeper. Sometimes I can love a person so much that it touches my very being in this world. Imagine a china man, he is connected to Peking and a yidele is connected to Yerushalayim. I’m sure that the all off the China Man is connected to Peking but this is the kind of all which is after I am created. After he is already created as a China man he is connected to Peking. If he cannot be in Peking so he lives in New York he forgets about Peking. For a yidele, Yerushalayim is not connected to me after my creation, this touches the very foundation of my creation. If not Yerushalayim I can’t have something else, cannot exchange it.

Let me make it clearer. I want you to know something else, the more outside it is the more the little bit is also meaningful. Imagine I’ll make a deal with Coca Cola. I would like to sell you ten thousand bottles of Coca Cola. My friend tells me ‘well, my soul is not that big, I cannot use ten thousand bottles but I would be glad to buy a thousand from you’. Imagine I walk up to a girl and I say ‘I want to marry you’ and she says ‘well, I cannot marry you but I can be your secretary’. Or she will tell you ‘I cannot marry you for a lifetime but for a weekend I can’, it’s sweet but it just doesn’t go. Anything that comes from the outside – then a little bit is also good. If I am very hungry and I walk into this restaurant and I ask for five steaks and ten hamburgers and they tell me ‘listen brother, we are just closing up. All I can give you is a leftover donut’. Since I am so hungry I will take that because it’s outside of me. Now listen to this, on a physical level. The more outside it is in the body it doesn’t have to be complete. It should be complete but if it’s not, it is possible. G-d forbid, we should have all our feet but if one foot is missing I can still live. If someone might say ‘I’m going to cut off half of my heart G-d forbid, so I’m living on half’, it just doesn’t go because the heart is the inside of my inside and the inside of my inside has to be complete.

Let me tell you something. I am giving a speech on Maoism and I’m speaking to the China folks and they don’t understand exactly what I say because maybe I am speaking in Hebrew. In the meantime I am telling them that it doesn’t matter, they understood a little bit, it served its purpose. Imagine I am going to a girl and I want to propose to her and I say three words to her, I love you. And she says ‘I didn’t hear the two last words’ it just doesn’t go. When it comes to the deepest depths of life, when it comes to the real things – unless it’s complete it’s not there.

There are people who want to give you a lot and you only want to take a little and it’s okay. But there are people who are that close to me and I want to give them so much and they only want to take a little…

So just in a nutshell listen to this. You know how much life G-d wants to give us all year long? The flow from heaven is so deep, you can only take a little bit but it’s okay. On Rosh Hashonna, the day of the creation of the world, our closeness to G-d is so awesome that unless we take the whole thing – it just doesn’t go. Rosh Hashonna, the day when G-d created the world is such a deep day, mamesh the deepest depths there is. All of me has to be ready to take all of G-d, mamesh all of it. In order to live all year long I should do tshuvah, I don’t have to be that good and I don’t have to cleanse myself that much. So I don’t take the whole thing, I take a little bit and I will manage. I don’t keep all of Shabbos, I keep Friday night. I don’t keep Friday night, I keep a little bit. Rosh Hashonna is one day which is so deep, it has to be all… it has to be all.

The Panim Yafot (Genesis 49) explains the verse using the words of Isaiah: “ The Lord said: inasmuch as this people has drawn close, with its mouth and with its lips it has honored Me, yet it has distanced its heart from Me – their fear of Me is like rote learning of human commands.” (Isaiah 29:13) Isaiah reminds us that prayer without awareness and commitment to our words is like a body without a soul.

He continues; When is Naftali compared to a hind let loose and free? Only when he delivers beautiful sayings – Imrei Shafer.

The Shofar reminds us that in order for our words to have “shafer” – beauty – they must come from the heart. The Shofar blast from deep inside the one who blows in an expression of his whole being in the blast.

to bring Jacob back to Him, and gather Israel to Himself, for I am honored in the eyes of God

and my Lord has been my strength —

He says: “It is too small a thing for you (Israel) to be My servant

to restore the tribes of Jacob

and bring back those of Israel I have kept.

I will also make you a light for the nations,

that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth (Isaiah 49:5-6).”

Isaiah describes how he was formed by God in the womb to be His servant so that he would successfully bring Israel back to God. “I am honored in the eyes of God,” it is an honor to be His servant. Yet, God points out that to Israel, “It is too small a thing for you to be My servant.” Isaiah sees it as an honor, but Israel sees being God’s servant as insignificant.

Only when Israel learns from Isaiah how to take pride in being God’s servant will they become, “a light for the nations, that My salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” We must not only become God’s servants, we must take pride in being His servants so that we can achieve the mission of Israel, stressed on Rosh Hashanah, of becoming a light to the nations.

“Judge me, Lord, and plead my cause against a nation without passion. Rescue me from those who are deceitful and wicked. You are my Lord, my stronghold.

Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?

Send Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; let them bring me to the mountain of Your holy sanctuary, to the places where You dwell.

Then I will go to the altar of the Lord, to the Power, my joy and my delight. I will praise You with the lyre, O Lord, my Lord.

Why, my soul, are you downcast?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in the Lord,

for I will yet thank Him,

for He is my deliverance,

the light of my countenance,

and my Lord (Psalms 43).”

David is requesting that God judge him and plead his case! How can the Judge plead the case of the servant?

After his request, David challenges God, “Why have you rejected me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”

David experiences the taunting of those who do not understand his passion as God not advocating for him; he feels that when God does not advocate, He is rejecting David.

David desires God’s light and truth as his guides to finding God, and he is insisting that God’s light and truth will be his advocates.

Rather than respond to the accusations of his enemies as an indication that he is mistaken in his choices, David insists that he is vulnerable because God is not pleading David’s case that all his choices are intended to find God’s light and truth.

King David sees the Judgment as an opportunity for God to vindicate him, plead for him, and allow him to discover God’s light and truth. David surely trembled when placed in judgment, but he was confident that even if he had made serious mistakes, that God would clearly see David’s intentions and desires as part of his search for closeness to God.

King David is confident that the judgment will result in his being able to see God’s light and truth and promises, “Then I will go to the altar of the Lord, to the Power, my joy and my delight. I will praise You with the lyre, O Lord, my Lord.”

Once David will experience his Joy in Trembling, he will address his soul and say, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in the Lord, for I will yet thank Him, for He is my deliverance, the light of my countenance, and my Lord.”

This is not a Rosh Hashanah or Teshuvah of tears and mourning, but of rejoicing, a time of discovery and vindication. King David sees the judgment of Rosh Hashanah ending with God as his advocate. This is the, “Serve God with fear, and rejoice with trembling (Psalms 2:11),” of Rosh Hashanah.